My only advice is to consider living right across the river in VA. Lower taxes and crime and can take advantage of all the benefits of DC without having to mess withthe black hole that is DC government......

if your move is work/school related, ask people at your work/school. don't take advice from random people, as residents of MD and VA often have very strong, yet very irrational, opinions.

The reason you're seeing listings dominated by the complexes is probably the time of year. I imagine it's the same in Chicago— you'd see a lot more options in May than November. Right now, it's mostly big properties still trying to fill space.

Craigslist is your best bet. Most places you'd have found in the City Paper a decade ago will only be found online now. The apartment rental websites and magazines are only going to list the large management company-owned complexes because that's who's paying the advertising bills.

I often receive requests for housing referrals from my college alumni association and my church, so you might try those avenues. Another source is university newspaper classifieds, but of course they're usually renting for next August at this time of year.

If you're willing to share, your options open up considerably. I have a friend sharing a 4-BR, 4½ BA townhouse, 3 blocks from the Court House Metro (Orange Line) for about $1000 each. Group houses are extremely common for the under-40 set because that population is so large and transient.

All that said, live close to work/school. The Metro is open late on weekends and cabs are easy to find, but There Is No Good Way To Get There From Here during rush hour if going more than a mile. Driving is impossible unless you get to work before 7am or after 10am. Metrorail is overcrowded and costly, the buses unreliable. As a pedestrian, I have been struck three times by bicylists, of which DC has one of the largest and most self-righteous populations I've seen anywhere. And cyclists endure sticky summers, windy winters, and hatred from motorists, train riders, and pedestrians alike.

You may want to call around to DC realtors, as there is a glut of owned-but-not-occupied condo's on the market. Folks bought them when the market was still strong and couldn't flip them in time. Property managers in DC are expensive compared to other areas and some people are having the realtors fill the vacancies--- the realtor isn't going to sell the condo any time soon, so might as well help the owner get a tenant, and make at least something. I know quite a few folks who have found a place to live or someone to live in their place, via a realtor.

If you have down-payment money and the credit, you might also consider buying a condo, as the DC house market has remained more or less stable compared to the rest of the country but the condo market has tanked hard. If you can afford $1600/month you will get more bang for your buck as an owner than as a tenant.

I would say that you need to keep checking Craigslist. When I last posted my rental property, I was inundated pretty quickly with responses so my listing did not stay up for long...

Craigslist is your best bet, but only if you are there in person (or can have a friend stand in for you). DC has a very competitive rental market right now, so good apartments get snapped up within hours.

There was a large glut of investor-owner properties snapped up in Ballston and Clarendon/Courthouse (all in Arlington County). Those are two terrific neighborhoods for the younger set - especially Clarendon which is eye-candy central.

Wouldn't the people at work/friends already in DC have the same strong and irrational opinions?

Right now, I found a complex that would be workable. So I am going to keep that in my back pocket, head out there and see if I can find something better via CL, just walking around, or whatnot. If I find a better place I will grab it. If not, the complex near work will be fine.

yes, but they are more likely to know what's convenient to or practical for that work/school. for example, i know a couple of people who bought or rented places near metro stops, only to find themselves driving to work every day.

If you are renting in DC, look for an apartment with rent control. Any building built before 1978 and larger than 6 units has to be under rent control. Most of the larger buildings in NW tend to be on Wisc and Conn Avenues, NW. And the further away you live from the Metro, the cheaper your rent tends to be.

As for taxes, DC has a high income tax but low property tax rate. Virginia has lower income taxes, higher property taxes, and they nickel and dime tax you on just about everything, including food bought in a supermarket and your annual car tax.

Oh, and DC has no "nickel and diming"? 10% meals tax. 2 cent "plastic bag tax". Lets not even start mentioning the parking enforcement division....

i recall a few years back when marion barry was the guy with the hand in your pocket, the city was a few million or billion short. he resolved the issue by hiring about 100 meter maids.

It's actually 5c per bag although most supermarkets don't charge you. But Arlington has an 8.5% meal tax, so what's the real difference between DC's 10% and that (unless your meals run in the $1,000 range). And car tax - what the hell is that? I already bought my car, paid sales tax on it, so why do I need to pay it again every year. And why would you tax unprepared food? That just hurts the poor more than anyone else. As for parking tickets, I'd rather get one in DC than NoVA where the fines are higher and they tow your car on the spot.

NOVA is painfully dull and anywhere outside of Old Towne Alexandria, you are going to see awful suburban sprawl, a complete lack of zoning, and unfettered commercial development.

Except for Rosslyn-Ballston (and Pentagon City) in Arlington, probably the most successful examples of smart growth in the entire country.

The tax on unprepared food is 2%, which mostly balances out with the lower overall sales tax, meal tax, and income tax. Much of NoVA has better public facilities if that matters to you. Car tax only applies to those who own a car :) Business taxes are also lower in NoVA.

There have been a few reports put out that show that DC and VA total tax burdens are comparable - that is, some people will come out ahead in one state or the other depending on specific circumstances including income level, whether you own property, number and types of owned vehicles, etc.

I am not interested in getting into a DC versus Virginia battle. The car tax - which is common in many states - frankly is no different than property tax. "I already bought my house, paid tax on it, so why do I need to pay it again every year."

As for parking tickets, I have lived in Northern Virginia for 15 years. I have never received a parking ticket in Virginia. I have, however, received three parking tickets in DC. I have also had my car broken into twice in DC. My wife was also mugged in DC. I know neighbors in my area who leave their car doors unlocked at night and leave the house doors unlocked during the day. Can you say that about almost any locality in the District?